BACKGROUND: The impact of organic and conventional production systems on quality and nutritional parameters of fruits and vegetables is still under discussion. The objective of this study is to determine whether the production system has a significant effect on the quality and nutritional content of one variety of processing tomatoes grown on a commercial scale by comparing three different grow...

There is a general belief that the quality of tomatoes ripened on vine is better than tomatoes ripened off the vine, influencing among other parameters, the price of this commodity. We compared the quality of hydroponic tomatoes ripened on and off vine by chemical, physical, and sensory evaluation to find what attributes are affected and to what extent. Lycopene, beta-carotene, total and solubl...

Fresh tomatoes higher in lycopene content than standard varieties have recently been designed. We hypothesized that consumption of fresh, high lycopene tomatoes (HEC) for 3-weeks, as compared to standard fresh tomatoes, (LEC) would result in significant increases in serum lycopene and reductions in oxidative stress and inflammation. Forty healthy adult men (37.5%) and women (62.5%) age 55.3±4.7...

Cold plasma is increasingly under research for decontamination of foods, especially fresh fruits and vegetables. The effect of cold plasma on food quality, however, remains under researched. This study investigates the effects of cold plasma generated within a sealed package from a dielectric barrier discharge on the physical quality parameters and respiration rates of cherry tomatoes. Respirat...

Tomato is a versatile vegetable that is consumed fresh as well as in the form of processed products. More recently, there has been renewed attention given to the antioxidant content of tomatoes because many epidemiological studies suggested that regular consumption of fruits and vegetables, including tomatoes, can play an important role in preventing cancer and cardiovascular problems. Approxim...

Massive actuator arrays found their applications in robotics, pharmaceutics, aerospace, etc. Compared with electrically and/or pneumatically powered actuator array, hydraulic actuator has the comprehensive advantages of higher force density (i.e. force / actuation area), better controllability, and simpler remote control accessibility. This paper presents approaches to construct and control a m...